Chris Conn Askew "96 Tears" @ Merry Karnowsky Gallery

A few years back, we featured the work of tattoo and fine artist Chris Conn Askew in the magazine (he did a great shirt for us too, sold out though). Conn Askew will be opening a body of new work at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 12, called 96 Tears.

Merry Karnowsky Gallery is proud to present 96 Tears, a solo exhibition by Christopher Conn Askew. A reference to the song of the same title by ? and The Mysterians, the artist expresses that he finds a solace & familiarity in the lyrics that have two lovers often at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum never meeting in the middle. Beyond the more obvious interpretation of tears as sadness lies the symbol as a cleansing potion, an internal meditation and washing of the soul. Askew's work is both ambiguous at moments while still rich with symbolic meaning.

In his current body of work, Chris has found a fluidity and mystical side that has evolved in his painting. There now live flower like creatures and organically masked women with serene expression reflective of the artist’s meditative side. Still true to his own classic symbols, the work is filled with militaristic reference that represent the battle going on inside the mind of the artist which is often times a reflection of the world around him. Propagandist colors speak of controlling regimes and the world of tattooing that the artist himself has emerged from. Words in Latin, Greek, Russian, English, enhance the visual mystique and hidden emotional context of the imagery; paintings rich with symbolism and characters walking a thin line between sublimation and aggression.